Snakes never forget
by Kumori Kasei
Summary: Both Otacon and Ai are dead, but Snake managed to save a badly beatup Haruna. However Kenshin is still out there, and he has sworn to kill them both...
1. Endless sorrow

Snake lovered his hands. Slowly and in deep shock.

He dropped the SOCOM pistol, and when it hit the pure, white snow-covered gound, the sound was almost completely muffled. His mind flicked at the past events, at him seeing Meryl fall back on the ground, in a dreadful, painfilled scream, as her fragile, female body was teared apart with bullets. _They'd zipped her meat wide open_.

Snake rushed to Meryl's aid, stumbling over his own feet. Anxious to hear the voice of the woman whom he loved, telling him that she was alright, he wanted desperately to assure her safety. He already knew, it was too late.

Tears cornering up in his emerald eyes, he took a knee, lowering down at the side of the horrible scene, gently shaking what had been the gorgeous, slim body of a beautiful and proud, young woman. The woman, whom he _loved_. But her eyes remained unchanged, with a sparkle of life in them. However happy Snake was to see this, it made the saltiness of his own tears fall from his eyes, and run down his burning, bright scarlet cheeks, until they accumulated in Meryl's pool of blood, which was only growing wider by each second. He was so afraid, him, the legend, afraid that the strength, her strength, wasn't strong enough to overcome the wounds. These were no bullet of a Wolf who did not mean to kill her; but from soldiers who had not hesitated, when she did.

"Snake...I..I'm.."

Her voice; it was so terribly hoarse, the very sound of it made Snake wince in sorrow on her behalf. All of the hope seemed to have vanished out of it and dissapeared, only to assure Snake that she was no longer going to be with him, no longer going to fight alongside him. They'd know each other for a week, but had found so much worth living for.

The tone in her voice was like one from another world. Snake closed his eyes briefly. She was close to her 19th birthday.

"Meryl, why did you become a _soldier_?" He asked her silently, feeling like a fool because he was unable to stop the heavy rain from his eyes. "You weren't meant to be. I'm sure..." He paused, and caught up with his own rapid breathing. It was hard to see if she could even hear him, but as her eyes fluttered shut and opened repeadetly, he guessed it was okay for him to carry on.

"I've seen soldiers. Lots of them. And none...like _you_." He lifted his arms to carefully embrace her, but seeing her face wince in agony, he cursed under his breath. He couldn't even hold her now, he couldn't embrace her, only look on as she faded away.

"Shh..." Meryl hussed, and rolled her head to his side, looking at him with this deep, emotional gaze, in her deep, blue eyes. Was that a smile? He, unwillingly, swallowed.

Then, he saw it. The tears. The crystal tears, more silent and innocent than the wind, slowly creeping it's way down her chin, mixing with the all the red. Again, he felt like a huge round object, had stuck itself in his throat. Why was it so different? Why did he love her so much, that it hurt so badly to let go?

Meryl saw the conflict of emotion and his own hard-learned experience within his mind, only by a brief glance.

"Snake...Don't...let your mind eat you, just because of a fallen combat buddy..." She tried a smile again, but it seemed so horribly out of place, so feeble and powerless. What was a smile going to heal?

He looked at her, needless to say, surprised that she could say such thing when she was this close to death. Yet another smile got caught on her blood-stained lips, and she winced. Within seconds she was writhing on the ground, much like a _dying snake. _

"Meryl, I'm not gonna let you die! Not on Shadow Moses, not here, _never! _Do you hear me?!" He barked at her, like commands from a colonel. And that way she looked at him. Stared at him. Like telling him, she's the one to blame. It shattered all of his faith in the new life he wanted so badly, everything he wanted to believe in.

It was just _too late._

"It has always been too late"... He closed his eyes, trying to keep some of that self-blame on a nice, safe distance. "For me." _I must let go of the most precious thing I'd ever had by my side._

_Why? _It was him, the mercenary, who had killed tens of thousand time more than she, he deserved to bleed to death. After all he'd done in his life, both to soldiers, and to himself...Only God knew, how many people he had killed, and how times he'd hurt their wives, children...

"S-Snake, I-I..." Her mouth kept going up and down, yet he could barely hear her words wouldn't come out as sound.

"I love...you. So much. P-please."

He was paralyzed-yet he remember how her blood-stained hand moved to his forhead, and brushed away his hair. She had somehow managed to lift her upper body, and solidly planted her soft, cold lips on his.

He closed his eyes, so very very tightly.

"Meryl, I-"

Back resting on the ground, she was laying motionless. The only thing moving were the bright, red locks of hair, the wind toyed with. The blood on her lips had smeared out from the kiss; like a grotesque form of lipstick. Her skintone was paler than ever and her eyes were more grey than blue. No glistening. No soul.

"No..." He whispered into the alaskan wind, and it suffocated his voice.

Panicly, his index-finger pressed upon the spot below her jaw. _Please, no...no, don't do this to me._

"Nooo!" He yelled so loud, that a flock of birds flew up to the sky, their squalls deeply echoing around the scene of him and...

"She...I didn't even...tell her. Meryl..."

No. He thought, quickly rising from the snow. No, I can't sit here, morning forever..._damn_! He cursed in his mind, and grit his teeth.

That was when his codec beeped. Snake was rather suprised that it still worked, since his nanomachines already stopped functioning a week ago, but he took action instead of thinking too much about it.

"Snake! What_ the hell _is going on out there?!" The colonels voice barked at him, instantly inflicting yet another stroke of pain in Snake. He would have to tell him.

"Yeah, colonel, what the hell is going on! Why'd you contact me over the codec? The nanomachines-"

"The _new _kind of nanomachines are supposedly affected by colder temperatures, extending the period of functioning. "The colonel's voice calmly explained. "However, we don't have that much longer." Roy Campbell breathed a deep sigh.

"There's two reasons why I contacted you, Snake. Don't think I'm calling you for a chit-chat."

"I would never think so about you, colonel. Just tell me what this is all about."

There was a brief silence.

"Oh my God..."

"What?! What is it?"

"They already got there, didn't they?"

Those words fueled the fire of anger inside of Snake. His palms became sweaty, his skin and body; hot as flame, and his left fist balled. He could've punched Campbell right in his face if only he'd been there.

"You're saying that you knew about this _all...along_?

Same silence.

"...You disgust me, Roy."

"I did not know anything about this ambush, until recently, Snake." The elder man defended himself. "I planned on briefing you but I realized from your tracing signal, that it would be a bad idea to contact you."

"Why?" Snake spat.

"You were obviously in combat."

Silence.

"Snake, those were ninjas."

This brought Snake out of his dream-like condition.

"Huh?"

"Ninjas," The colonel impatiently replied. "They were in possesions of katanas. Take look at their bodies."

Snake unwillingly looked at one of those dead bodies, entirely covered in black. And quite right, on his back, a katana was sheated.

"But they used guns?!" Snake said, puzzled. His voice burned with questions. "They...shot Meryl."

"...Meryl? I-is she okay?!"

Snake swallowed when he heard Roy's voice going softer, mentioning his daughter's name. It was gonna be so hard, it seemed impossible to tell this man about his only child's death. And he cherised her so much. As much as Snake did. He explained her last seconds to him, with a voice that threatened to give up the more he went on. Finally, it was all said, and it was like the finishing of a chapter in a book with a sad, sad ending.

It was a very strange presence after this, lingering in the air, suffocating Snake.

"Colonel?"

The connection was broken. Now, all that was left, was to wait. Wait. For the colonel to contact him again. He would come to his senses again, surely. Sooner or later. For Snake, the biggest question was...could he accept it?

"Freeze!"

Snake had spun around, kicked his gun up from the ground, and grabbed it, training it with deadly precision at a surviving ninja's chest.

"Kuso!" The ninja sputtered. However, his voice did not sound that japanese to Snake, who spoke the language fluently.

"Anata wa dare?" _(Who're you?) _Snake asked the guy. And just as he thought, the "japanese" became paralyzed, and mumbled something that sounded like a cross between bad mocking chinese and english. Snake grunted, not amused.

He wielded only a katana, but it did not discourage Snake from leaping forward, placing a swift kick on its guard. Clearly taken aback by this frontal attack, the so-called ninja did a poor job in defending himself, and the counterattack he displayed was a foot fumbling out in a kick, caught easily by Snake's right hand. He grit his teeth and _growled, _twisted it with both hands and the ninja was down; the sword releasing itself from his grip. It flew up, and Snake caught it, giving it a few testing swipes, before he quickly pinned his opponent to the ground by holding his arms down with both thighs. The fake ninja made a sound that sounded like a whimper, before Snake took the katana into both hands, aimed, and sent it through his ribcage with force.

He spat blood on his face, which Snake wiped off in disgust. He twisted the sword a few times, withdrew, and threw it in the snow.

The sound of a helicopter, approached him. Snake ran for cover, but the snow which was kicked up by the helicopter's blades made a blizzard, and it was near impossible for Snake to proceed to his house. Instead, he backed off while facing the helicopter

Men started jumping out, and searching through the dead bodies.

Snake clenched his fists. He watched them take off. Sunk to his knees.

"Forgive me, Meryl."

Closing ones eyes really didn't help.


	2. At large

**Disclaimer:** I still don't owe anything Metal Gear related, however, Haruna and Ai are my creations.

--

Snake looked up again. His eyes were sore, red, and he'd never been more tired in his entire life before. Sleep...yes, just sleep, and forget. Forget everything, the past, the future...and what was happening now. 

_"See? You can't protect_ anyone_, not even yourself!" _

"Liquid..." Snake uttered, throwing himself fully onto the ground, next to Meryl's body.

--

A pair of beautiful, purple eyes glanced outside of an old window. Restlessly. They moved back and forth from the different persons they spotted outside. And at the same time...they were hiding. She was hiding. She gasped deeply. The air inside that old building...it was so...humid, so hot..._unbearable!_ She slammed her fist into the old wall, made of brown bricks. The skin between her knuckles burst, and blood trickled from her hand. Then, another female approached her. A worried look was in her bright eyes.  
  
"Haruna, Ima demo iroiro aru kedo ne.Kimi ga ite boku ga iru sore dake sa sore ga...subete sa..." _("Haru-chan, a lot of things are still happening. You're alive and I'm alive, that's all...that's everything...")_

She did not respond immediately to this. Her eyes were still stuck on looking at her fist, and she licked the blood away, making the other woman turn away.

Then, Haruna got up.

"Demo, doko made ikeba tadoritsuku no, Ai-chan!?"_ ("But, how far must I go until I arrive, Ai-chan!?") _

Ai smiled secretly.

"Watashi wo shinjite ite. Sou bokutachi ga shinjiru nara...Bokutachi wa sou jiyuu de."_ ("Believe in me. If only we believe...We are free.") _

The men outside started gathering. Somehow, they were multiplying by the second, as more and more of them started to. Both of the females realized this, and Ai aquired a worried look, while Haruna swiftly pulled out her katana, and made a dangerous looking pose with it.

"We better start talking english too, if we don't want to get caught."

Ai's beautiful face, now looked like a sheet. She was pale white, and she kept stuttering. "D-doushite??"_ ("w-why??") _

"Because nearly no americans speak japanese, that's why."

"You know I am no the best for this...." Ai said, with a very tiny voice.

Haruna couldn't keep from laughing.

"Don't worry. You're doing ok."

Ai smiled. She relied a lot at Haruna for teaching her this, and getting the two of them safe and sound to America. Escaping from here, was dangerous; there were a price on their heads, and no one in Japan would hesitate to either kill, or turn them in. But, they were at large. For how long, however, time would show. They had different reasons to get away from Japan. As for Ai, she wanted to study abroad, and get an american boyfriend, and settle down in Los Angeles.

Haruna...she just _hated_ it. Japan. It _desguted_ her. Words such as Kunoichi's and ninja's, she wouldn't hear it, no more. She wanted to feel free, to feel like she could do whatever she desired. And maybe...just maybe, she would find...someone. A guy. If so, it would be her first. She'd never been with any man or boy before, and it was starting to bother her, since Ai could get anyone she wanted. She was so beautiful. Of course, Haruna knew that many women would give away half of their fortune to look like her, but yet...it was not quite the same as_ Ai._ She had the beauty of a _goddess._

But her heart was also more beautiful, which was something she admired much more, and found trust in.

She knew she could always trust Ai.

_--_

_"Don't be afraid you go on living _

_because I have you _

_don't be afraid I'll hold you tightly _

_because, I won't let your hand slip by."_

**--**

**Author's note:** The edited version of chapter 2...but let's call it a remake XD I hope you like it better...because I do XD Anyway, here's an early introduction to Haruna and Ai, and maybe it could give you some more hints to how they end up in America, and their relationship to each other.


	3. A kunoichi in danger

So, this is chapter 3. Sorry about the crappy chapter 2, I do hope this will be a whole lot better. If not, tell me. I've been busy with my huge pile of homeorks lately, so it's my danish teacher you need to blame.  
  
This fic. isn't going to well, and I'm all out of ideas. Please, provide me with some suggestions to improve it in your rewiews, and in return I will read and rewiew your stories.  
  
Disclaimer: All the characters from Metal Gear Solid are owned by Konami inc. and Hideo Kojima. The song lyrics for "On your shore" belongs to Enya and Warner music.   
  
** ** **  
  
"But how could you have known Snake?" Snake's best friend Hal Emmerich, known as Otacon to the mercenary, did a feeble attempt to cheer up his friend. But the way Snake's eyes stared out of the window, like hearing none of Otacon's words, had the scientist worried. Two weeks, two darn and dead weeks alongside with Snake had passed, and to be completely honest, he was beginning to get frustated about his friend. Okay, he understood that Snake had experienzed the love of his life die, but could he moan forever?   
  
"I should...of course...they followed us. I had all that time to move away from Twin Lakes, I promised, I promised her that we could start over again, in New York...I promised..." His voice, hoarse by all the malboro's he had smoked the past two weeks, got more and more self-blaming for each word that he spoke. Hal winced. This was the same as he and Wolf. The genomes made fun of him, because they didn't believe a top-trained FOX-HOUND agent as her, could fall in love with a hostage scientist. But she could. That moment when she had hand over her handker-chief, that passionate look in her sienna brown eyes he had never thought a strong woman like she possesed, that, was the best moment in his life. Love. It had begun, it had been, and it had died. But he had accepted it. If HE could, why couldn't Snake just as well put the past behind him? Dead was dead, and life for the living, as Mei-Ling had said.   
  
"Snake. If you don't pull yourself together right now, I'll have to hit you! Meryl is dead, yes. And I'm sorry too, believe me. But if you sit here and cry your eyes out, you'll never be able to live normally again!"  
  
Snake stood up with a fast movement, and Hal was sure he could see anger in his eyes. Still, he didn't care.  
  
"Don't you dare talk to me in that tune Otacon!!! You don't have any clue of what it's like!"  
  
"Oh no? What about Wolf?!"  
  
Snake winced, and Otacon realized his words had hit him at a weak spot.   
  
"You know what happened. I didn't mean to kill her, but she ment to kill me. It was..."  
  
"...Nothing personal?" Otacon finished off Snake's sentence, seeing him turn his head. Snake sighed.  
  
"You'll never understand what it's like. Forget about it. I'll see you around." Snake grapped his black trench coat, and started walking towards the door. When he opened it, Hal said nothing. He couldn't force his friend to stay. He need it. Some time alone, and maybe then he will open his eyes. He can't moan forever, Hal thought.. Snake slammed the door, and dust and pieces of wood fell from the ceiling. Once more, Hal winced. Or can he?  
  
** ** **  
  
Strange how my heart beats  
  
to find myself upon your shore  
  
strange how I still feel  
  
my loss of comfort gone before  
  
Cool waves wash over  
  
and drift away with dreams of youth  
  
so, time is stolen  
  
I cannot hold you long enough…  
  
** ** **  
  
God…what the hell happened? Why is everything so dark?  
  
Even though she spoke inside her head, thinking gave her a head-ache. Instead, she tried moving. Her hands couldn't move. Her head turned to see what kept her from moving, and to her surprise she was handcuffed. And the worst thing was, that she was strapped down tight to the wall, about 3 feet from the ground.  
  
Shit! She couldn't prevent thinking, and she felt the acids of her stomach twist around like mad. This ain't good!  
  
"Enjoying the view, are we?"   
  
She recognized the voice. Deep, cold, like a sibilation.   
  
"Kenshin!" She whispered. Or, she would have whispered, but not a single word came over her dry lips, instead, she winced by the sight of the man. He was about 180 cm. tall, with slightly tanned skin, and dark, curled and long hair. His eyes were golden, piercing and evil. But the corners of his mouth turned into a smile, wich proofed he had understood what she tried to say. He grinned, walking up to her.  
  
"Hm…You are as beautiful as ever Haruna…" She carefully watched him speak, his lips move up and down. He was the only one she feared…And she was the only one he wanted. Once, things had been different. He loved her, and so did she. Her life as a kunoichi had somehow been "put to sleep", not entirely killed, but it still was inside her. Inside her soul. And know, she felt it more than ever, screaming to be let out, to take out it's anger on him because of what he did. But as long as she was cuffed like this, she could only imagine herself slicing his body into pieces with her katana.   
  
"What the hell do you want from me?"  
  
"Talk." He smirked.  
  
Her purple eyes narrowed, and she gave him a dead-cold look. "We don't have anything to talk about-else than why you're keeping following me like a pup! I have my own goddamned life to take care of!!" She paused, using the following silence to think through her words. Had she said the right thing? You could never be sure about Kenshin's temperament.   
  
"I thought that by now, Haruna, an intelligent kunoichi like you would be aware of the dagners meddling with things that don't consume you. Such as stealing top-secret SOK-files, escaping from your right-ful master, and..."  
  
"Oh for gods sake Kenshin! Spare me off the moral-preach, I think I'm gonna throw up! First of all, I DID NOT steal those files, and secondly, I don't BELONG to anyone! It's MY life!! Japan was dead boring afterall..."  
  
Kenshin sighed, and with a quick move, he reached for something under his kahki trench-coat. And the second after, that something were pointed at her. She gasped, seeing the red light from the metal weapon sneak it's way up, all the way up to her forehead. She cleared her throat. A gun...  
  
"I will take you back-or I will kill you. What do you say?"  
  
She stared at his gun. Kenshin couldn't figure out the look at her face, but he hoped that it was pure fear.  
  
  
  
Then, she laughed.  
  
"I don't really got a choice, do I?"  
  
"You decide, Haruna. Death, or coming with me." He replied, now training the gun at her chest, following the movements of her breathing.  
  
"To come with you IS death. Shoot me then."  
  
Kenshin smiled, flicked the safety off the gun. A loud bang sounded and completely drowned a horrible scream, as blood splattered at the wall where Haruna was cuffed.  
  
Author: Well that was chapter 3. You propably wonder why I'd put in japaneese manga characters in a metal gear fic, but I saw Kuroi Tori (A kunoichi's last dance) do it, so I figured it was quite "okay". After all, her story rocks! Remember to give me rewiews with things to do different or good ideas, since I haven't got a clue what I'm supposed to write in the next chapter. Sayonara!  
  
** ** ** 


	4. Perfect Blue

Chapter 4, finally! I've been waiting in ages to update, since I patientally waited for someone to give me idea's in a rewiew. but, no one did, do I wrote this chapter myself.   
  
There's some japanese words included (sorry) but most people know those few standard japanese words. If not, TOO BAD ^_^ J/K...  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
"This is main office of SOK, how can I help you?"  
  
"Great weather...don't you think so to?" The deep male voice in the other end responded, laughing.  
  
"Sir, what can I help you out with?" The office operater lady replied. He only chuckled, and the woman sighed deeply. Damn him...it was obviously her brother again, playing his usual jokes on her.   
  
"It's really peaceful out here..." He took the mobile phone in the other hand, to brush away a lok of black hair from his forhead. "And such a white sky...you almost can't tell the difference between clouds and heaven..."  
  
The woman was losing patience. Damn Jacob, he had done that two times this week now! Still...it didn't sound like him...but who else than her big brother could be so stupid? He had ALWAYS been bulling her, and when she managed to get a job, he thought it was funny to play these endless jokes on her.  
  
"Ok now, mister, I'll have to ask you one-last-time: What is it that you wan't?!"  
  
"Senpai Ninja, Aikawa Kenshin. I want to report back."  
  
She smacked her forhead. Stupid! Of course, Kenshin, returning. She shifted in her chair, clearing her throat. It would be SO stupid to screw it up in front of her senpai, she would most likely lose her job, and even worse than that, her jobutaitoru as a true kunoichi. That would be shame, shame on her and her proud family name.   
  
"Oh, I see...I'll put you through to kouchou, just hang in there a sec-"  
  
"It...won't be nessecary." Damn, it's beginning to get freezing here, he thought. Thought the darkness attracted him, and it was much more appealing for him, he despised standing there for too long. Even a creature of the dark can miss the light... He drew his glock 18, carefully switching the safety off.   
  
"...Excuse me? I don't think I..."  
  
"...Understand?" He changed his voice, trying to sound gently. "Tell me, what is your name?"  
  
She gaped. He was acually...interested in getting on a conversation with her? Talking with his mappai? Very unusual...well, she thought, smiling while neatly tucking her hair behind her ears. Talk won't harm anyone...  
  
"Hitohana Aijou." She chirped, shining like the sun while saying her mother's maiden name, been giving to every female in her family by tradition.  
  
"Ahh..." He put on his most charming facade, and knew, a naive and stupid woman like her easily would fall for it. No woman could stand flatter, especially not kunoichi'es. "How beautiful. I bet you are a very pretty young girl too..." He almost couldn't supress a slight chuckle, when hearing her giggle in the other end. This was really a piece of cake.   
  
"Sir, are you hitting on me?"   
  
"No!" He said. "How could you think that of your senpai? I never flirt with my mappai's."  
  
She cleared her throat, again. Oh, she knew it. It was too good to be true anyway.   
  
"Oh, I-I'm sorry then mister, I'll just...I-I just thought, that, you know w-when you..." Her voice was trembling, and she could feel her confusion form itself as small drops in her ruby red eyes.   
  
"No. Take it easy Aijou. I was just kidding you! Did I make you sad?"  
  
As fast as it had felt from her heart, the happiness shot through her entire body, and she could almost scream by pure joy.   
  
"Well, I guess...a little." She sniffled.   
  
"Don't worry 'bout that, I didn't mean to. Let's have dinner! I think that'll make you happy again."  
  
This time, she didn't mind screaming, and the sound of surprise escaped her lips, wich made her recieve several killing looks from the other kunoichi operators. "R-really? WOW, I mean...great...I..." Get your tongue under control! A little voice commanded her, inside her head. "Sorry. I'd love to."  
  
"Great! Listen, There many places to choose from in this town, but I want you to taste my famous dinner. So how about it?"  
  
She shut her mouth, when she discovered it had been wide open for some now. "You mean, at YOUR place?" Phew! Senpai ninja's...they had allot of cash, so it propably weren't roasted chicken they were going to eat.   
  
"Yes."  
  
"Okay...wait a second, I'll write your adre-"  
  
"NO!" He almost shouted. "Ehe, I mean, we don't want Kouchou to know about our...little secret? Do we?"  
  
Aijou smiled. "No...but..."  
  
Don't worry, I'll pick you up at the office. What time is it that you're free of work?"  
  
"13.30 PM."  
  
"Be at the main entrance at 13.45 PM. I'll pick you up then."  
  
"How do I know if it's you? I mean, what car...?"   
  
Kenshin smiled at her attempt of getting to know what type of car he was driving in, typically girls...  
  
"Black chevrolet corvette. See you...Bishoujo."  
  
She giggled, then let out a sigh.   
  
"Bye bidanshi."  
  
~*~   
  
"David? Are you in here?" Using his real name propably wouldn't make him respond as well as if he had been using his codename, but in public he couldn't run that risk; they were more than wanted.   
  
Otacon winced when he saw his friend, lie at his feet, a bottle of vodka in his hand. He wore a thick grey blanket, wrapped about him tightly. Otacon bow over him, and smelled the man's bad breath. Carefully, he poked Snake with a finger in his chest.   
  
"Snake? Snake!" He whispered. "Wake up! You're lying in the middle of the street, everyone's looking at you!"  
  
"H-huh?" Snake snored. Slowly, he opened up his eyes, staring into two opposite eyes, icey blue. Not like his, warm, but still piercing, emerald green.  
  
"Not..now. I'm sleeping, can't you see?"  
  
"Jesus, this is embarrasing!" Otacon's voice complained.  
  
Cars whizzed past them, and several horns blared in their direction. Then, Otacon lost it. Literally. He raised his hand, and saw how Snake was taken aback by the slap.   
  
"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! IT'S NOT SOMETHING I ASK FOR NOW, YOU HAVE TOO!!!"  
  
"O-Otacon..." Snake stuttered, but now it was Otacon who was in control, the scientist, not the mercenary. Otacon backed off, sighing deeply. But okay then...he began to walk away, and just when he was about to turn around the corner, he turned around.   
  
"If you want to live the rest of your life like that, I'm not gonna stand in your way then." He then tossed some keys in his direction, and Snake grabbed them. "For my apartment, if you should suddenly decide to pull yourself together...I'm not gonna help you any further."  
  
"I..."  
  
"Snake?"  
  
Snake looked at him, preparing to be scolded again.  
  
"Do you know, what color your stupidity and sins' got?  
  
"What a question to ask!...No?"  
  
Otacon pushed back his glasses, and closed his eyes.  
  
"Perfect Blue."  
  
~*~ 


	5. Breaking free

"Uh...my head..."  
  
She was almost completely unable to move, when still strapped to the wall. Her head felt like a waterfall, with the thoughts flowing, her being out of control to understand what was going on.  
  
Or, what HAD been going on...  
  
That was...Kenshin, wasn't it? With a gun...something, something about going..back, back to Japan...she resisted, he pulled the trigger...why was she alive?  
  
"Keshin...you...god...damned...BASTARD!!!"  
  
For each word she breated, she tried to break free from the wall, and when she came to yelling "bastard", they broke. Surprised that her attempt in breaking free actually worked, she tried to ease the fall with her hands, but they got scrapes and bruishes, and the blood started to trickle. She rolled over, and lay on her back, looking up while breathing heavily. She then closed her eyes.  
  
"I'm free...Finally."  
  
She slowly rose from the floor. Then, she saw blood, splattered on the wall where she had been hold up.   
  
"Shimatta!" She cursed, staring at the red pattern with disbelief in her eyes.  
  
"Who else...who else, could have been in here?"   
  
Her eyes searched the room, for something, anything that could explain the blood. But the only thing she found, was her katana.   
  
"Yeah! There it is!"  
  
She picked it up, and hid it away. If the american police somehow should find her with it, she would have a hard time explaining why she was carrying a sword.  
  
"Better get the hell outta here." She decided, starting to run out of the dungeon. And as soon as she got out, she decided to call SOK. An explanation of Kenshin's behavior, she really deserved that...   
  
When I find you Kenshin...  
  
I won't make your sufferings easy...  
  
~*~  
  
"Otacon, where did you put the can with chopped tomatoes?" Snake called, stirring in the cauldron with sauce. He had decided to live with his friend for a while, since Otacon insisted, after he had came back from the streets, and embarrasingly apologized his behaviour. This was far better, living with Otacon. He was really a good person, taking the time to cheer up his friends even though he had his own problems to think of.   
  
"It's on the table in the living room, I thought you might've noticed."  
  
"I'll just go get it." Snake responded, tossing the rag he was holding on the working table.   
  
"Oh, wait, forget it. I used it yesterday, you'll have to buy a new can. If you need ca-"  
  
"I already have money, don't think about it Otacon. I'll be right back."  
  
Snake put on his coat, and opened the door and stepped outside, starting to walk down the apartement stairs. He had to hurry, the shop closed in ten minutes...  
  
~*~  
  
Outside, in front of an apartment, Haruna stood. She looked up at it, rubbing her aching wrists. There were only light in three of the windows. Suddenly she thought; how weird normal humans really were, though kunoichi's, ninja's and humans actually were a lot alike. Humans needed so much sleep, they had strong feelings, loved their family...and, they could sometimes fall in love. Falling in love...she closed her eyes slowly, and inhaled the cool and moist evening air. How would it be like? To love, and have, to give away your life to protect the one, if you were forced to? She never really loved Kenshin in the first place...that's how it goes, she thought, her fists balling. When a guy says the right words, and does the right things...  
  
"...Be right back Otacon. The shop's gonna close in 10 minutes!!"  
  
She let out a little gasp of surprise when she heard the male voice, coming from behind her. Haruna turned around, pulled her katana out and hid it behind her back. Right in the same second were the man opened the apartment door, she did a backwards jump flip, landed on top of a car. She jumped down from the roof, and rolled right underneath the car, smelling the oil leaking from the car. She winced. He just stood there...that wasn't normal for a human! He was trained, a skilled person..."Trained or not," Haruna thought while sneaking in the shadows, creeping closer and closer for each minute. "He can't take down a kunoichi..."  
  
~*~  
  
Even from a distance of 10 meters, he was able to hear the noise. A person out here, 2.00 AM? He would have thought it was a wild dog or something likely...but that sound of metal, like a sword or huge knife...that made him freeze. His well trained senses commanded him to be alert, and so, he pulled out a USP from his jackets inner pocket, quickly flicking the safety off with a trained finger.   
  
Then, the strike came.  
  
A loud thump ecchoed in the hollow night, the sound of Haruna's foot brought to his face. He fell back, but he wasn't going down. Like a lightning, he jumped up, and fought the surprised kunoichi back with a well-placed kick in her solar-plexus . This time, she fell. Much slower than Snake, she tried to get up, but was forced back when Snake aimed his gun at her. Dissapointed by her own combat skills, she raised her hands in the air, dropping the katana at his feet.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" He questioned with an angry stare, switching the red laser off. He wasn't going to use that now, with her lying at his feet.  
  
She smiled. "Even if I told you, you would never believe me." She tried to move her aching body a little, but Snake felt it, and brought a foot to her torso. She smirked. "You humans are SO stupid...especially the men."  
  
Snake shrugged. If she wanted to play it the hard way, he agreed. He wasn't going to be a sweetie.   
  
"You ARE going to tell me little lady, or I'll have to smack a bullet in your pretty forhead. Wich would be a shame." He looked at her, and first now, he discovered her actual beauty. Her long black hair waved peacefully in the air, and so did her earrings, made of darkblue feathers. Her eyes...they gazed at him, but their look was piercing, like his. They were...purple?! How unusual...what did she mean when she said "you humans?" by the way?   
  
"Please," She begged him, breathing heavily to show him she had strong pains, lying there. "Couldn't you help me up? As you saw before, I'm no good for fighting right now..."   
  
Snake nodded, and slowly let her rise, but still with his USP aimed at her with the other hand. She smiled and brushed off some dust from her black and blue combat suit-but then she winced, and bend down on her knees, in pain from what Snake could tell.  
  
"What's wrong?" He asked, knowing that it couldn't be him. He hadn't kicked her that hard.  
  
She removed the hand she had been holding close to her chest, and revealed a spot with blood, almost soaking through the suit, but it seemed like the material was made for those sitiuations.  
  
"I..it..d-don't worry...It happened before..." She coughed, but luckily there was no blood being coughed up.   
  
"Who did it? Say it!"   
  
But Snake soon realized that she couldn't when her eyes shut, and her body heavy, when she lost consciousnes. 


	6. Goodbye Aijou

Hello ev'ryone!! It's my birthday tommorow, I'll be turning 15 the 11th of November (I just thought you needed to know). YEAH!!! Now for the story. And, oh yeah, Solid Snake and Otacon belongs to Konami, and the wonderful japanese guy, Hideo Kojima. And no, I AIN'T got his email, SO DON'T TOUCH ME!!! *Ehe*  
  
~*~  
  
"Access denied, need main security password? Now what does that mean, Aijou?" Kenshin asked the kunoichi, as he brought the screen of the laptop slightly down.   
  
Aijou didn't answer, but there was a clear and good reason for that. She had a thick bandana popped into her mouth, wich made it almost impossible for her to breathe. It was so big that it covered her nostrils, she had to gasp really heavily to get some air down her needing lungs. Though, she just had the energy to give him a despicing look, and a low grumble, rocking around to get free from the thick ropes, that just painfully cut deeper into her aching wrists. Kenshin smiled, and slowly moved closer to her. She could feel his hard, warm breath, giving her the creeps; but she was determined not to show. Then, he grabbed her by the throat, slowly removing the bandana from her mouth. When it came out, she gasped for air, and held his arm to make him loosen his grip around her neck. But he was much stronger than her. He moved his grip, and in a second Aijou almost thought that he was going to let her go. But he just shifted his grip, and locked her head in a deadly position, ready to snap her neck anytime.  
  
"Don't try anything stupid Aijou." He said when he felt her move around, in his not the least "sweet" embrace. "With a single snap..." He snapped his fingers with his free hand. "You are history. That sweet little neck of yours...CRACK!" He almost shouted "crack" into her ear, and she whimpered like a little child. He tossed her on the ground, and she started crawling away, but he followed her. Bringing her hands to cover her face, she poorly uttered a lost cry.   
  
"P-please...I've done nothing, nothing wrong...why are you doing this, please..." She kept repeating the word "please", as he bow over her body. With pure fear in her eyes, she stared at him.  
  
"No..no pl-"  
  
Her begging voice turned into a blur of nonsence, when he brought his lips to her, ruthlessly, hot, and she almost felt it like a fire, burning her lips, her heart...her honor. With a quick move, he pulled back. Aijou still had her eyes closed, and he laughed.   
  
"Now give me that password so we can get over with this...thing." He hurridly said.   
  
"It's: manobi..." She sighed, then bow her head, starting to cry her helpless tears.  
  
"Good girl..." He smirked, and tapped the letters. Then, a message appeared.  
  
[ACCESS...DENIED]  
  
"LIAR!!!" Kenshin growled, and slammed a fist down on the table.   
  
Aijou gaped. "I don't understand..." She spoke silently, mostly to herself, but she shouldn't have said anything.   
  
"You know what that means...don't you?" He said, and felt for the knife in his inner pocket.   
  
~*~  
  
"Otacon!"  
  
Otacon opened the door with a quick move, and at first, he didn't see the unconscious girl Snake's arms, her eyelids hardly fluttering shut and open, like not fully into sleep.  
  
"Snake, what the hell are you thinking, it's 2.10 AM, and ev'ryone's sleeping, and where's the tomatoes, why are you carry-OH MY GOD!"  
  
"Step aside Otacon, I need a some space here." Otacon gasped and widened his eyes when he saw small bloodstains on the floor. "She's losing blood." Snake explained, carefully stepping inside Otacon's apartment. The girls head dangled like a rag-dolls, and Snake had to be very attentive that he didn't suddenly bang her head into a locker, or even worse, a door.  
  
"What the hell did you do to her Snake? J-just look at her face, she's all beaten up!!" The scientist's voice almost yelled at him,   
  
"It wasn't me!" He angrily scowled, clearing the table with his free hand. "Go get some bandages instead of moral preaching on me." He very gently lay her body on the table, and started to work with her clothes to get a clear view of where the wound were.  
  
Otacon nodded silently, and with no further uneccesary conversation, he rushed into the kitchen, and left Snake with the wounded kunoichi, and a head spinning around with confusement....  
  
~*~  
  
AN: Okies, this was short. But I promise you, the next chapter will be MUCH longer, okay? Konnichiwa! 


	7. Haruna Satogure

* * *

_"Damn it's cold."_  
  
That was the first thing that went through her aching head, when her eyes fluttered open, awakened by the dim light from the outside. She had almost forgot; It was winter, and at this time of the year it was a rare treat to be awakened by pure sunlight. With no idea about where she was, and where she should be headed, she slowly rose.  
  
"Matte!" With a gasp, she let her hand massage the back of her neck slightly hard. There was no pain left to feel, only the feeling you get in your bones when you haven't moved around to much for a while. "How...strange." She tossed away the sheet wich had covered her cold body, but first now, she understood why she had been freezing.  
  
"Where the _hell_ are my clothes!!?" She whispered angrily and surprised, picking up the sheets again to cover her naked body with, angered by the thought that someone had stripped her off her clothes, wich ment he or she had been looking at her body. She winced. Haruna looked around. If not the walls were yellow and lightbrown (they had originally been white, but the person who lived here apparently was a heavy smoker) and it was dusty and a bit smelly, it would've been a quite nice and cosy home. Wherever it was that she where. There was a desk in the far end of the room, with a black laptop (Samsung) placed on it, a black deskchair with a white labcoat tossed over the back, small staints of coffee on it. Also, a white coffee mug with the brown drink stained on it. When looking more to the left, she saw the door. And suddenly, footsteps ecchoed in what sounded like a small hall. Quickly, she put her cold feet on the blue carpet floor, the be covers covering her body tightly. The door swung open.  
  
"Oh great, you're awake already!" His hand run through his gray hair, though it remained ruffly. "I was afraid you were never gonna wake up again."  
  
A man, looking kind of short according to his age, which looked as it was like, around the thirties or the beginning of the fourties, was smiling, nearly grinning at her. She hated when people did that. Laughing and happiness was such a sign of human weakness. For that, she shot him a dead, cold killing look. She knew that by now, her purple eyes must look like pure lightning, since her fellow kunoichi's had told her. And quite true, the man nervously trembled a little, pushing up his glasses with an index finger, trying to remain calm and chipper.  
  
"Well, I mean, it was quite a bump you got there...in the back of your head. Don't worry about it, I fixed it some time ago. I'm more worried about your other wounds."  
  
_"Other wounds?"_ Like a reflex, her hand moved to her torso, feeling...something warm and aching, soft and sore. A fresh flesh wound, covered by a bandage. She knew the feeling. "So I was right...I propably blacked out because of the blood loss..." Her fists balled. Another weakness. Damn.  
  
"Yeah you fainted, but it doesn't matter, trust me, I know that you're gonna be okay. I've seen much worse than that." He said optimisticly, and Haruna felt it as though he was reading her mind.  
  
"He really did treat you unfairly, I told him."  
  
_"Who?!"_ She burst out. _"Who_ did this to me? Do you know him?"  
  
"He's my-"  
  
"Bring me to him!" Haruna jumped out of bed, and even when standing tall, the man was still shorter than her, just a little. This seemed to make him silent for a while, but nonetheless, he protested. Big mistake. Huge mistake.  
  
"You can't right now miss, he's in town. I have no idea when he'll be back here, but you'll just have to sit down and wait. You want some co-"  
  
In less than a second, Haruna had grabbed him by his collar, lifted him up with both hands and slammed the back of his head into the wall, almost knocking him unconsciouss. He gasped for air, his feet kicking vivaciously in the air, eyes wide open in half- fear, and half- surprise.  
  
"Bring me to him. _Understand?"_  
  
He nodded, as much as he could, unable to move his head that much.  
  
"Go, then. Now!"  
  
She let go of his collar, and the shocked scientist slipped down on the floor, breathing heavily. Then he rose, and ran out of the door, and she heard how he stumbled over his own feet, out in the hallway.  
  
Scornfully, she laughed.  
  
"I'm gonna finish off them both. Him _and_ Kenshin."  
  
Then, a sudden noice, from the outside, caught her attention. She frowned thoughtfully, and on her bare feet, she tip-toed her way towards the window. With a careful hand, she draped the curtains to the left side, her trained eyes, much greater than the normal human eye, spotted a car. A black dodge ram. And out of it, came a woman. There was no doubt, it was a female, tall, with very dark tanned skin, silvery/grey eyes, and incredibly long silver white hair (if she hadn't been keeping it up in a messy bun, it would've been going all the way down to her knees). She was wearing a white tank top (a bit too transparent, you could see the black bra underneath), and a pair of darkblue jeans, sitting really tight around her body, wich could make any man drool; In fact, the men on the streets, staring at her if like she was Claudia Schiffer, whisteled loudly and challenging, and caught some few stolen look of her breasts, quite bigger than an average womans. The attractive, mysterious female smiled, and her sparkling white teeth shined so much, that Haruna feared that she was gonna be blinded. Instead, she just draped back the curtains, and angrily growled.  
  
"What the hell...Ai is joining the party." She smiled when thinking of the time she had been spending in the past with this woman, the few laughs, and the many fights and disagreements they had shared.  
  
It knocked on the door.  
  
She was actually approaching the door, when it flew open. Haruna thought that it was either Ai, or the little whimp of a man, but to her surprise, it was neither of these.  
  
A really tall man, with a brown mullet, and dressed in casual clothes, had kicked up open the door. She stepped back, falling to the floor, not because she was scared, but because she had recognized him: This was the one, the only human she had intended to kill, but couldn't. And those eyes...  
  
"What the _hell_ are you thinking? Huh?!" He yelled at her. He _dared_ to yell at her.  
  
Her lower lip trembled, but the words wouldn't seem to come out. A whimp was all she could stutter.  
  
"No one scares the shit out of my friends, and especially not a snotty bitch like you!" He came closer, and she kept creeping backwards, waiting for the right time to run away-a time she knew wouldn't come.  
  
"Uhm, Sn- I mean, Dave...it's ok."  
  
Haruna breathed a sigh. Saved by the small guy. Who would've thought that?  
  
"I'm sorry." She hoarsly whispered, looking down, trying to look like an innocent, lost little girl, hoping the "Dave" guy would take the bait. She was a master of lying.  
  
"It's just...I-I don't know this place...I don't know where I am, and then suddenly I'm attacked, brought up here, and someone strips of my clothes..."  
  
Dave and Hal looked at each other, both quite embarrased. The had to take of her clothes until they were sure that she had no other wounds. Hal put an elbow in Dave's ribs, nodding towards the kunoichi. Dave sighed.  
  
"We're..._sorry"_ he said, not very convincing. "Your clothes are out in the bathroom, washed and clean. Take a shower, and come out in the kitchen, and lets talk through this."  
  
He bow down, offering her his hand. Slowly, she grabbed it, and rose from the floor, the sheet still covering her body. They both smiled, and Hal saw it, smiling as well. And I would've gived a lot to know what that scientist had been thinking.

* * *

_Looking into her eyes...he found himself...lost. They were incredebly beautiful, in a such loving, yet cold and dangerous way. Such danger. That was what he had always seeked. Adventure. In the beginning, it was because of the rush, the adrenaline, pumping through his veins, making him feel so alive, like the least dangerous kind of drug he knew. Soon, it was just like drugs in every way. He became addicted. Addicted to the danger, addicted to the adrenaline, the kick, the rush...the killing. And after each mission he'd survived, he only wished that he'd died instead. The endless crimes of humanity, the selfishness, the hunger and pain, the thirst for money, power, control, blood...and God forbid it, the need for killing, that some fucked up persons actually possesed. They needed help, but instead, it was a lot easier for the goverment just to hire some experts, like himself, to get rid of them.  
  
Killing them. How easy those words sounded. He just wondered why those men who wanted it to happen, just didn't do it themselves?  
  
Killing for a living.  
  
Dying for a purpose;  
  
money.  
  
Not for something that you loved.  
  
Because...  
  
he had never loved.  
  
He couldn't._

* * *

"David!"

"Huh? Wha-oh..."  
  
He realized what he'd missed when Hal stared at him, arms crossed, but seeing the woman with the purple eyes, in her clean clothes, her long, dark hair drippling with water, with a slight smile covering her cupid lips, when she looked at him, propably adoring his body (he'd caught many women red-handed in that), he knew they had been talking for some time, and his own attention had only been half present. That angered him a bit, since it had been i his /i idea in the first place.  
  
"As I was saying..." Hal said, sounding a bit dissapointed. " I think _you,_ " He looked at the female, and she looked at him for a short while, then David's taught body caught her gaze again. "Should stay until you've found someplace else. Of course you'll have to make your own living...right?"  
  
David nodded. He had no attention at working his butt out of his pants, to feed _her._  
  
"But where am I supposed to sleep?" She smiled, and looked around, her hands in the air, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Maybe I'm just being blind, but as I see it, there are only two bedrooms."  
  
"What purpose do you think the couch was invented for..." David whispered, and actually he didn't mean her to hear him, but he didn't knew that she was a kunoichi, and they had many times sharper senses than normal Homo Sapiens.  
  
"I don't know....jerking it off when your all alone, huh Dave-san?" She said, sweet in such a false tune it could make you puke.  
  
Hal blushed, nervously pushing back his glasses. David just closed his eyes, looking like slowly counting to one-houndred, really starting to get provoked.  
  
"Ehm...the cou-couch seems as a brilliant idea...Well otherwise, _I_ could sleep on the couch, and then..uhm....?"  
  
"Haruna." She chirped, her voice indicating pride and honor. "Haruna Satogure".  
  
"Pretty." David bitterly and sarcasticly spat, turning his head, while having his arms crossed.  
  
"It's alright, Otacon-san." She smiled. Her opinion about this man was that he was clever-no, intelligent, but some flatter, he couldn't resist. "The couch sounds just fine. I've had worse places to sleep."  
  
"Heh...like, outside of a shoeshop, trying to get in early to get your high-heeled ones repaired?"  
  
_"Snake!!"_  
  
"Ok, Hal. I'm just trying to make you understand, that your taking in an complete stranger!"  
  
Hal jumped of his chair, his finger pointed at Snake's face.  
  
"I took you in, Snake. And this is my house, so accept my decisions, or else-"  
  
His finger changed it's target, and pointed at the front door.  
  
"You can go home. It's up to you."  
  
Snake camly stood up now, and in the middle of them, still sitting down on a chair, hands neatly folded in her lap, was the kunoichi, wacthing the argument with amusement in her eyes. This was quite interesting, indeed.  
  
"I have no home. That's why I rely on my friends. Especially those whose life I've saved."  
  
He was starting to walk away. It was his experienze, that arguements never lead to any good, so his best solution...well, this.  
  
"What about Meryl?"  
  
As seconds passed by, Hal began to see, he had hit Snake at an extra weak spot, not knowing if it was good, or if it was stupid of him. Waiting patiently for an answer, he waited for something to never come; slowly Dave walked away, headed towards his bedroom. A door slammed.

Otacon threw his tired body down on the chair again. Holding a hand to his head, suddenly, he felt someone rubbing his back.  
  
"Oh...Haruna...what are you-"  
  
"Just relax. I see that you could need some of it, am I right?" She said, with a heavy japanese accent. That explained the shape of her eyes, and her dark hair. Yeah, she was definentely from the east. Why did he not notice from before?  
  
"Propably," He smiled to himself. Not bad...those hand of hers did a great job, the pain he'd been feeling on his neck lately, slowly dissapeared. It was like magic.  
  
"So..." Her hands rubbed extra tender and carefully, and hearing how he moaned in pleasure, almost a little sexual, she knew she did it good. "What is it with this "Meryl", and David-san?"  
  
"It's a long story. But she is dead now and..." He sighed, and just through her fingertips, she could feel his mood drop. She rubbed him more.  
  
"I think-no I know, that he loved her...David I mean. He loved her. But Meryl died, and he could...well, he was there. He told me he could've saved her, and just no matter how hard I try to convince him of the opposite, he still believes that...that..." Otacon shook his head, and let a pathetic sigh escape his lips.  
  
"Aw, but Otacon-san, it's not your fault, no? As his friend, you are just trying hard to protect him, from a lonely life. Don't blame it all on yourself!"  
  
With a jump, he got up.  
  
"You're right. I'll go talk to him"  
  
"No! Let me. I know what to say...Meanwhile, why don't you sit down and have some more coffee, Otacon-san?"  
  
A japanese girl, damn beautiful and caring, knowing what to say, and _wow_ her hands did magic...it was a girl like her he wanted. He grinned, and poured some more coffee into his mug.  
  
"Right. Okay, but whatever you do, don't mention Meryl, please?"  
  
She smiled, and went into David's room, not answering Otacon's question. And maybe because she had absolutely no intention of keeping it.


	8. Shortcurcuit

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any Metal Gear related content or characters, however, Haruna Satogure and Ai belongs to me.

* * *

For hours, days, weeks, Haruna had refused to look him into his eyes. Whenever they were being forced into each others company, all she had left for him was a dry, superficial sparkle in her eyes, and it made David's neck hairs raise, and he felt electrified with remorse and stupidity. He could try talking to her; but after a few words, she would either have left the room, stomping her feet melodramatical on her way out, or she would repsond to him with a quick "no" or "maybe". It felt impossible for him to get a plain, everyday conversation out of her, and whenever he tried, it could get pretty bothering hearing Otacon coming up from behind, snickering. Hell, she hardly ate anything he cooked. Only the rice dumplings and the sashimi Otacon buyed her in a special shop inside town would do. Hey. Weren't there something about that she had to make her own living?

Exhausted from thinking over her (not to mention the problems that she caused), his restless body sunk into the couch, and he closed his eyes. Otacon wasn't there for the time being, he knew, so he wouldn't be disturbed from his nap that he was planning on having. He hadn't slept more than two, half-peaceful hours last night, since Haruna was practising her god damned kendo, and seemingly only needed half as much sleep as normal people. Thinking over it again, she wasn't even human. More likely, a wild beast. Yeah. A beastess.

The silence was nice. A bit too silent, but very relaxing, and his tense mucles enjoyed it like the rest of his mind. He was indeed worrying too much. Not about Haruna, suddenly he realized that there was nowhere left in his head where he could find a place for her to fit in now. He was just overwhelmed with surprise. Wasn't he the one whom had been called a loner his entire life? It seemed to him, that if he had been living with two other human beings about a year ago, he would've ran away. Hell, he enjoyed Hal being around. Of course it was not every day that he saw him; but he could be absolutely sure that he was there. Sometimes, he could walk around, and most of all lok like someone who was tired of shitting, and think he was all alone in that dingy, little apartment. Then, at somewhere 'round 9.00 AM, Hal would turn up and see David at the table, toasting waffles. _"What are you doing up this late in the evening?"_ He would ask, and David would once more worry if that laptop screen didn't turn his best friend's definition of day- and night time upside down. Most of all Hal reminded Dave of a friendly vampire, and he didn't like it, not one bit.

He was barely awake now. The sun seemed to have sneaked it's way to the livingroom's one and only window, and was now warming his tired frame. He was thankful, as this relieved him of any worrying thought. He must've had a goofy smile on, cause this instant, Haruna had entered the sun-heated room, not looking at the man on the couch. But the moment she saw him, she snickered, and had to hold her breath to stop her laugh from exploding. _Cute_ was not the word here. No, _unexcpected weakness_. That must be it. Not many seconds passed before she was musingly gazing at this...exposed weakness. He snored heavily, and turned to his side, one arm underneath a small pillow. Haruna smiled secrectly. She was having mental images, taunting him. But was he_ really_ asleep? Haruna forced herself a bit closer. And closer. Poking him in his arm, he made no response, and she was satisfied; fast asleep.

She was actually kind of stupid right now. Maybe on purpose, David thought. Over 20 years of military training and several successful missions carried out PLUS his intensive CQB, taekwondo, and Shaolin training, she was most certainly playing with fire. He had taught himself in the past; never to be fully asleep, always keeping his inner eyes open to danger. And so he did, discovering this danger to be a female ninja, poking him in his arm. It would be no challenge for him, right here and now, to grab her and get a chokehold at her, but that would be no real challenge for a legend like him. And more importantly, she was not what Snake would call unintelligent. Hell, how could he forget that fight they had outside the block? Even though he "won" the battle, she pulled him down into a adrenaline rush, so powerful that he felt it like smoking crack. Not many opponents did that to him anymore, it was all guns, aiming and shooting. There were no real need for martial arts in today's warfare, only when everything else failed, or such thing as bullets couldn't kill. And in most cases, bullets DID kill. 

_"Wait",_ her thoughts alarmed her, instantly. She pulled her hand back _"Wasn't that a blink?"_ For a nanosecond, it seemed as his green eyes revealed themselves to her. Yes, most definentely a blink. But at the moment her brain got this info, and used it, a pair of strong, ruthless hands had grabbed her and held her tight, and she was caught.

She sputtered several japanese cuss words at her attacker, while he let his hands slide lower down her waist to get a better hold of her. He lost balance, however, Haruna managed to land on top of him the instant they were lying on the floor, Haruna struggling to be freed. But he had no intention of letting her go, and his grip around her waist became harder, and more imprisonating. She gasped for air, while he tried to bring her arm upon her back, her head facing the floor. And he succeded, much to both's surprise.

"You...need more training...crazy bitch," David stuttered under his breath. That clash had end sooner than expected, since she didn't give him much resistance.

"Let me go, you...you _bastard..."_

Was that...crying he heard? _Her!?_ Impossible. Haruna drew in a sharp breath, and sighed in a pathetic way, which he'd never thought he was going to hear from her. Yet, he found his vice-like grip easing itself, and actually giving her an excellent opportunity to counter-attack. Which she didn't. He knew that she wouldn't, and she didn't. It was a time like this, were seconds felt like minutes, the minutes like hours. And he still did not let go of her; and she knew the more she struggled, she would eventually break away from him, since he was only holding her slightly. But she didn't. He stayed with her. She stayed with him. And, oh no, no, now he's...Haruna couldn't think straight, as her thoughts were just throbbing in her mind, tripping over each other, ending up in some pish-posh nonsense that didn't make any sense to her at all.

He was no longer holding her, but her wrist glowed bright scarlet from his hard grip, and they both looked at it, him regretfully, but she did not care much anymore. They both sat up, her head leaned on his chest, sitting in his lap. It was hot. Humid. It was raining outside. They could both hear.

"I wonder when Otacon's gonna get back..." Snake finally muttered, scratching his neck a bit. He was hoping and praying, that the akwardness of this situation didn't seem as clear to Haruna, as it did to him.

"Me too," She replied, her voice suddenly much more hoarse than he remembered. "I-I...I can go make him some coffee, so that he can...you know, when he, when he get's home and...and..."

Enough. David muffled her voice by gently placing his hand over her mouth, and she luckily didn't protest too much. He then felt a sting in his chest; she was really being beautiful, all silent and without that angry look on her face, which he had a feeling was ment only for him. Now, oh, it was so silent, quiet, and very romantic.

Shoot. Did he just say romantic?

He had been right about hearing her cry; with his thumb he wiped off some tears that had almost dried out. And he felt how his rough skin made contact with her, velvet, rosy cheeks, and he felt a fuzzy, electric feeling shoot through his arm.

They were so different. And he felt...drawn towards her.

It scared the shit out of him.

"Haruna," He tried with a tail off voice, and when it died, he couldn't think of anything else, than this one solution. So he brought his lips upon hers, and took in the kiss, deeper. Passionently, she moaned into the kiss, and she took it deeper, deep as it could get. _"Shit, this is just not real..none of this can be true! It's, it's not happening!" _Snake thought, but he continued kissing her, like he was afraid of her pulling back. He could taste the heat.

Then something happened. Fast.

_"Acchi! Kanojo acchi desu!"_

Haruna released herself from the kiss, and gasped. In a splitsecond her eyes opened wide. Snake turned around.

Two men, ninjas, dressed in black from top to toe, pulled out their katanas with fierce looks in their eyes. Snake instinctivly reached for his gun, but nothing there.

_"Damn!"_ He looked at Haruna, quickly, just a glance, and saw something which he'd never thought he was gonna see. It was obvious, that the kunoichi was scared to death. She quivered, and stuttered small japanese chants; "Hyaku nen me, Hyaku nen me desu..." (The end, this is the end...)

"Haruna! Get the hell out of here!" She looked away from him.

"No." Her now fragile body shaked even more, and the tears ran down her cheeks.

"What the _hell_ do you mean "no"!?" The ninjas got closer, crepping with their incredible stealth skills showing. One of them neared Haruna, and she saw him, looked him right into his eyes. She got on her knees.

_"No!"_ The mercenary lunged at the ninja approching her, his fist raised and ready to punch the guts out of him, but the ninja dodged, and somehow got to face David's backside. David knew that he was vulnerable like this, and quickly turned around, but it was a deadly move; the ninja had foreseen this, and his blade made a deep, painful cut. He screamed out in agony, the sound blurred with Haruna's following scream.  
  
It was all red, when he brought his hand from his back, to look at it. Yet, he quickly got back on his feet, his face burning red with anger and pain.

"Haruna. Go. _Now!!!"_ He added hurridly and louder, when he saw her not moving an inch, crying hopelessly. It was one hell of a bad time to lose the will to fight, but he had NO intentions of leaving her behind, nor letting a ninja decapitate her.

That was when the pain overcame him. He cursed it, still not letting Haruna go of his eyes. He panted, and gasped for air, dragging it down in his lungs, again..and again...until the darkness consumed him whole, and his brain got a blackout. His body went limp.****

* * *

AN: Yup, that was it. Pretty boring, and not too much content. Sorry. I'll make the next chapter better, I promise. 


	9. Blood, sweat and combat

Chapter nine, and not much to say about it. Read, and (hopefully) enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own nothin' of Konami's, no no, I don't....whistles

--

"Showtime!"

A hysterical laughter followed this cliché. A man's laughter. A demon. Her mind may have quivered in the darkness where she was placed, her hands roughly tied up togther behind her back, wrists bleeding slightly from being handled without care. But the worst, the far worst thing was her face. Pretty purple eyes, sliced in the very iris with a tiny, thin bladed knife. There was a trail of blood down her cheeks, shaping her jawline and continuing down her chest. Someone had cut her hair; She used to have long, black locks of hair, reaching her waist. Now it barely made it to her shoulders, and it seemed as if something greasy had been rubbed into her hair. She might've been crying when consciouss, but no one would ever be able to see because of the blood. And she seemed to have been out cold for long.

Aikawa Kenshin calmly walked with determined, slow steps towards his most wanted prey of all time. Haruna Sarogure. His half-sister and weaker counterpart. Weaker, perhaps...He leaned down to face her, his cold eyes examinating her weak body. Perhaps. Perhaps she possessed some gifts from birth that he didn't have. At the very thought, his eyes stared at her in anger, wanting to bash that stupid, fragile little head of hers against the red brick wall which she was leaned against.

It seemed to bother Kenshin that she was out cold like this. It would be so much more...satisfying, to slowly squeeze the life out of her, crushing her face, tearing those small, crimson lips off her face, then taking out his knife, slicing up her abdomen, watching how the dirty blood of hers was being pounded out of her own body, her own heart-beats killing her.

His heart pounded. Fast. Adrenaline rushed through his veins by the images of him in his head, making an end to her life.

"Relax, now" He whispered to himself, as if trying to make a furious dog calm down. "There will be a time for everything. And, I'd say; killing _her,"_

He looked down at her again. Quick, but the look of her, blood still slowly trickling from her wounds, made his bloodthirst even greater.

"Will be at the most important time."

--

"Am I _dead?"_

A cute, darkhaired little girl stood with a katana in her small, soft hands, not suitable for any weapon of that caliber. She had just opened up her eyes again, to see her father stand before her.

"Look at your hands."

Innocent, nervous eyes moved to look at her palms, to discover no trace of blood.

"...How?"

"Don't ask me how, child. The second that I got out here, you were already lying on the ground, pleading and screaming for your life." He paused to look down at her, seeing the shyness clouding in her eyes.

"Maybe it wasn't your time to go yet. I'll take this-" He reached down to pick up the katana. "And let this be a lesson."

She draw in air and released it into the most painful scream, when she found out what he was about to do-and did. The katana had already swiftly cut a fine, not too deep cut down her right arm. She grasped it with her other hand, eyes staring up at her father in disbelief.

"Destiny always leaves it's own mark at it's victims." His finger pointed at her arm. She ventured herself to remove her hand, slowly, and to her surprise, there was no longer a cut, just a thin, blue line.

"Perfect blue, my child. _Perfect Blue."_

--

Hal Emmerich whispered again and again, eyes shut tight as if in prayer. His feat leapt at the staircase, taking 3 steps at a time, having visions of what could possibly have happened with those two furious animals being alone in his apartment. "Nothing good at that," He sighed, his fingers so eager to get the right key out of the bundle, that he dropped them, six steps down. "Oh, _great."_ He muttered underneath his breath, wobbling down on unsteady feet.

He reached down.

And saw a crimson pool of...

_"Blood."_

If any man had ever been more shocked in his entire life than Hal Emmerich right in that same second, I pity for him. He tried to speak, and it worked about a good 50; his lips worked, but no sound was made.

And so, the strike came from above; a dagger with a blade as sharp as a katana cut right into the poor man's left kidney, leaving him unable to breathe. A feeling of acid burning his internal organs made him gasp, sweat running from his hurt body. There was no way he could run from this one.

"Snake! Help! _Help me!"_

The attacking ninja raised his fist, and placed a punch in Hal's vulnerable left side. Hal's head jerked back, and he spit out blood, eyes widened in deep shock for a second, the he took in breath, as if it was his first ever, and screamed, one last time.

_"Snake..."_

Seconds later the pleading scientist was kicked down the next staircase, left bleeding at destiny's cruel hands, screaming, crying, then whispering his best friend's name until the very end.

--

**"SNAKE!"**

He awoke with a heart beating faster and faster, screaming out in pain and confusion. The yelling of his name seemed to be coming from nowhere, but he didn't care, as it was certain his head wasn't able to contain a great load of information right now. Yet, he remembered one thing.

_"Haruna."_

He had to find her, and he had to find her NOW. Even if she really was dead, there was no second doubting this; Now or never. Solid Snake jumped onto his feet not caring the least that he had just awoken from some of the worst nightmares in his life, and he walked fast into his bedroom. He pulled put a drawer, and obtained his SOCOM .45, still equipped with a supressor. He switched on the safety, and pulled out the magazine. Full. Digging deeper, he also got a few more magazines, a tranquilizer gun and a grenade. He found his sneaking suit underneath his pillow, where he had been hiding it from Hal. He allowed himself to chuckle a bit. The guy hadn't seen it...but then when he tried to get it on, he realised, that the bullet holes, scrapes and blood stains had gone off...and somehow, he came to the conclusion that Hal must've repaired it AND washed it for him. He smirked, then pulled it on quickly, realising the actual seriousness of the situation.

Then he winced in pain.

_"Damn!"_

A wound. Now he remembered. How stupid of him.

He zipped the suit up to his throat. There was no time to waste, and he couldn't take care of his wound now. He jammed back the magazine into the SOCOM, flicked off the safety plus the laser sight, and trained it at the doorframe.

"Time to get back in buisness."

--

**AN:** Hehe. Left you at the exciting cliff again!!! :D I will get back with chapter 10 QUICKERS! Promise. By the way, at the end of this chapter, may I suggest the song "St. Anger" by Metallica? It sure stirs up some combat emotions! :P


	10. My weakness

**Chapter 10 - My weakness**

Haruna Satogure wasn't really what you could call stupid´. Maybe, to the untrained, human eye she must have seemed helpless and pathetic, with her unusual outfit and her dull, dead look in her eyes. And dangling from the ceiling, her wrists bleeding being cuffed, it was obvious to anyone that a person of much greater wit had decieved her, and captured her. And there she was now, exposed and humiliated. All of her martial arts skills, all of her stamina, strength, speed; she felt it as if it had been sucked out of her very bones. She felt her heart beat, in a slow, agonizing rythm. It was taunting her. Forcing her to live and breathe, though this bloodsucking, breathtaking pain had her flesh screaming inside. She wanted it no more. She wanted peace. And she cursed herself for giving up herself, but it was too late. Over the past hours that had passed by she must have lost at least 1/4 of the blood within her body. With a surprising amount of effort she took at glance at her wounds. Didn't seem like they were about to stop bleeding anythime soon, unless she got help. She yelped hopelessly. A shadow muttering a few words in japanese appeared in front of her. She closed her eyes as she broke down in tears begging for him to stop. second to one thing, this was to her the greatest humiliation of all time to her. But, just second.

_"Ai-chan wa doko..?"(Ai-chan, where are you?)._

How she missed her more than being without this pain. How she missed her, so much more than the eternal darkness she desired in this moment. Kenshin wasn't there at the time, she managed to see. Everything was...blurry and reddish. It was nothing but pain to keep her eyes open, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't prevent that voice in the back of her head from saying you're done for Haruna. No one's here to save your sorry ass, not even Ai-chan. She might be dead too´ She blinked a few times, holding a hand to rest her head at. Not even that annoying man will be here to free me. But I didn't expect _that_...´ Images flickered in her mind, thoughts. She couldn't get her mind to rest. Everything was taunting her at these last moments of her life.

_He was resting there at the couch. She wanted to bother him, somehow, though she didn't think of it as being mean. Why? He was annyoing, stubborn and a foolish human...propably a hopeless pervert as well, like most men. But she didn't **hate **him-not...not like that. She wanted...to be close to him. Hah, she wanted to make him kinda angry as well. His face looks twisted, and kind of funny when he was about to get **really** ticked off-her speciality. But it was ok. Strangely enough she was afraid of him in a **good **way. Bet that sounds strange but...that's the best way to describe it she guessed. Even though she sensed the strong aura of a true killer-a real warrior-he was so warm. A warmthness which she treasured. She would never admit that, though. She could imagine how he looked at her with anger and hatred in his eyes. He would...he would think that she was in **love **wih him! Haha! How stupid is that...! She thought it was anyway. In love! With a man she'd known for days, not years! minutes, not hours. And they had been fighting against each other, nearly to the very death. And she...had lost. He spared her life. Treated her wounds. And verbally abused her, much to her amusement. He was a man of his words, strong and yet kind and warm when you would least expect him to be. And most cold and harsh when you most expected him to be, and he was a stupid, annoying, **idiot.** _

_He looked only innocent when asleep. And he propably wasn't at all. It was a strong memory, of their fight in the living room. It was combat alright, like when they had first met. Or? He held a different grip on her. Looked at her with just a slightly different glanze. And he winced a bit, just a bit, when seeing her giving up. Surrendering herself. Leaving herself at his mercy. ACK! What was she thinking! Don't **think **like that Haruna, i-d-i-o-t! But she couldn't prevent it. She was too weak. What was going on? It was because of a weakness, surely she had a weakness for Dave. And she must have had...not the same, but something like that towards Kenshin. She hated him so much that she was afraid. And she...she...**liked **Dave so much that she was afraid. 2 weaknesses in the same body of a Kunoichi, once proud and strong. But a warrior must have no such thing as weaknesses, and certainly not more than one. That was what had turned around to bite her in the ass. She was sure of that. _

_**"Snake..."**_

_If only...If only she had been more kind. To him. He propably deserved that. A man like him could only have fought for the sake of good. God knows how many times he had saved the lives of these people on earth? But he desired no credit...A sad, lonely man...And Meryl? She must have been what caused that sadness. Some of it. Death accepts no bribery. Sadly. If only she could have comforted that sad man...that kiss...did it bring him happiness? Or did she just further in that wound in his heart? What if...she took him by his hand and kissed him more. The thought made her blush. She could have done that. And they would have kissed again, even more, even stronger. They would...**maybe **they would have seeked privacy and **he**-he would have undressed her. Slowly. Enjoying the sight of her slighty muscular, feminine body. Kissed her breasts. And she would only enjoy a thing she had shared only once with a man before in her life. He would whisper words of a lover into her ear, arousing her to the point where she just **had **to feel him inside of her. _

_  
A weakness that she just **had **to surrender herself at. _

_Because she desired so._

"God forgive me." She whispered between grit teeth, and hot tears trickled from her sore eyes.

"God won't listen to self-pity my girl."

Haruna turned her head just a bit to quickly to see who was the owner of that foreign, female voice, noticing the strong, russian accent. So fast, that her neck made an awful, cracking noice, and she whimpered.

"See what I mean?" She stod up. It was a blonde woman, that was what Haruna noticed secondly. What first caught her attention, was her eyes. Strong, teal eyes, with a hint of ice-blue in them. Eyes that made her shiver, just a bit. She had platin blonde hair. She was a tall woman, propably about 5'7 feet (176 cm). She was slim, but athletic. She might be just a few years older than herself. The woman sighed at Haruna's curious eyes. "There is no time for analyzing. We need to get you out of here."

"Who are you! One of _NIS? _Who sent you!" Haruna knew that it was no time to question things, yet she urged to get information.

"I _will _inform you. But not now, we simply do not have any time for chatting."

Haruna gasped, and looked past the blonde woman. She turned around to look as well.

"Crap." Then Haruna noticed that the woman was carrying a weapon; it looked like a heavy sniper rifle to her. But she wasn't sure of that.

"So, another visitor. Welcome, welcome...and goodbye." Kenshin laughed, but he was obviously aware that this blonde woman had no intention of being killed or captured. She went almost down on her knees, and leapt into the air, where she dissapeared, strangely.

Kenshin frowned. He didn't expect that from a woman. Instead he turned his attention towards a messed up kunoichi, who was now standing on her feet. "Dear-"

"Kenshin." She growled, her eyes glowing with an incredible purple glow. "I don't know anything useful to you. And I know what you're really after..." He tried interrupting her but she kept going, and walked towards him. "You've always hated him, my father. And when he died, you lost your chance for revenge..."

He growled. "You better shut up before you say something you'll regret..."

"I can't." She chuckled. "The way you messed me up I won't survive anyway. But, I _will_ kill you before I go…"

"HARUNA!"

_Ai-chan_...!

"FREEZE!"

_Dave..._

Quite right, Snake and Haruna's best friend were standing side by side, backs against each other, the beautiful kunoichi equipped with a wakizashi in each of her hands. And the mercenary held his SOCOM .45 in tightly in his hands, his aim being at Kenshin.

_"David!"_

"Haruna!"

"So you finally got to know humans, ne Haruna-chan?"

Snake was furious. "Let her go!"

Kenshin's cupid lips curled into an evil smile. "I don't think so..._Solid Snake!"_

_  
_Snake nearly dropped his gun, but with a skilled mind he did not do so. It would take at least Hiroshima all over to twist that gun out of his iron-like grip. "How _come_…do you know me?" Kenshin then smirked.

"I certainly do not know, David! Do YOU know ME?"

Snake stepped closer even though Ai and Haruna seemed to think that was a bad idea. Ai lined up her wakizashi's in position for attack but her hands trembled and she had to close her eyes to concentrate. Haruna nervously watched her. _She had never killed a living thing before._

Haruna was just about to make her remember that -but she couldn't.

Kenshin's cold blade tickled the area of her neck where her pulse was still throbbing.

"You see Snake. Men like us-we need nobody else. No government, no rules...and certainly no weakness." He stared down into the purple eyes of his prisoner. She blinked with sorrowful and shining eyes, hoping that this would soon end. Hoarsly, she spoke.

"Snake...Ai-chan...Please run, before it's too late." Ai-chan replied with a firm _"Zettai!"(Never), _but Snake just looked back at her with harsh eyes, and she was surprised by how combatworthy this man was.

"Look kid, this is no time to play hero! You-" He cocked back the hammer of the gun and aimed at the head region of Kenshin, who's grin just spread even more across his face. "Let her go."

"So that's how bad you want her...I see..." He laughed but Snake stood strong. Ai on the other hand, blinked several times as she had a hard time staying focused with the sweat emerging from her forehead trickling down and into her eyes. "I guess that you _could _fall in love twice...too bad. I'm going to have a hard time eliminating all of your weaknesses if you keep it up this way." Snake frowned but Kenshin continued. "I hope that you do not forget who you really are. The genes that you carry wasn't given to you so that you could lead a normal life, Snake. You will always, _always _be a great soldier. And there will be no time for...love. Right my dear?" Those last words he said directly into her face, as he firmly pressed his lips against hers. Ai yelled out her protests. Snake seemed to have forgotten why he got her in the first place as his voice became slightly weaker. He lowered his gun, just a little.

"You killed her."

Pulling back from the helpless woman, he grinned.

"So you finally got it. Yes, I did." His grin turned into a laugh and he continued. "Hiding out in a hut in Alaska. Just the two of you. Oh it was _so_ romantic, wasn't it Snake? Huh? Don't you just _miss-"_

Ai screamed as Snake leaped towards the man who had killed Meryl. He yelled, as agony and pure rage overcame him. Kenshin released Haruna to reach for his gun, but Snake was too fast-Kenshin was forced to block Snake's gun hand trying to knock him unconscious. Kenshin quickly responded. His right elbow made rough contact with Snake's left side-right where his wound was located.

It was not enough pain to make the skilled soldier scream though many other men would have done so, but he had to grit his teeth. He looked down.

"Oh was that too much for you? I'm sorry-I will be more gentle to you then." Kenshin pushed him away from him, and before Snake could get back up, he had a gun pointed in his face. "I guess that even legends can die. And it's not even an honourable death...too bad for you." He cocked back the hammer. "Well, at least now you can see your loved one again. And even that stupid friend of yours with the glasses." Snake felt for the second time in his life that he was about to die inside. He killed Otacon too. This-this was far too much.

"Maybe you'll even get the chance to tell her what you never had the courage to. I guess you'll never join my side anyway. So, I bid you farewell_."_

_"Mattenasai!"(Wait!)_ Ai shouted. She leaped towards him like Snake had did, but with much less attention. Kenshin was surprised that she did so, but that was taken over by his instincts. He fired his gun; but not at Snake.

Ai screamed again, this time in pain. But as the second, third, fourth bullet ripped through her body, she was silent. And it happened right before Haruna's eyes.

The body of the beautiful goddess-like kunoichi fell to the ground, her limbs bleeding severely. Her beautiful silver hair had crimson stains in it, and the shine in her eyes fainted. She was dead before she even had hit the ground.

"Stupid woman." Kenshin said with a much smaller voice; he did not seem comfortable about this. This was Snake's chance, and surely, when Kenshin had turned his head, Snake had fired his gun more than once at Kenshin. But he deflected those bullets with his sword.

"I guess this won't be where the legend ends. Not yet, Snake. But I _will _try to kill you." He looked furious as he ran off, leaping into the air and dissapearing.

Snake lowered his gun, resting a hand at his hip.

"Yeah? I'll be waiting for you, freak."

--

_To be continued..._


	11. Shizuku

**Disclaimer: **Metal Gear Solid and all of it's characters belongs to KONAMI and Hideo Kojima. Satogure Haruna, Ai, and Kenshin belongs to me.

--

It had happened before.

But no matter how often it had happened and was yet to happen again, she couldn't hide her pain from him. _She knew._

All of her defences...the walls that she'd built...

He...

"Haruna"

Calling out her name, she winced. She was lying in his bed, bandages wrapped around her making it nearly impossible for her to move.

He didn't look at her, in fact, it looked as if he deliberately had his face turned away from her avoiding any contact with her.

She felt her head spinning and everything was a blur - the colors, the smells, the sounds.

"I can't."

Hoarsly she replied with a faint "What...?"

"Do this. Anymore...I can't. It's over."

"What? Snake, I don't...what?" She got up with some effort and help from her bruised elbows, but Snake turned his face as she did so, growling at her to stay down.

"Snake..!!"

_"Shut up!!!"_

He cut her off. Her head tilted downwards. _"Now don't cry now Haruna..." _

She thought. A little voice in the back of her head where she didn't think it belonged. It had a different voice from hers, clean but harsh. Gentle but strict. _Beat it. Beat it! _Something was replying inside of her, but the voice belonged there. It wasn't going to leave.

"Otacon's dead. That girl too. And Meryl."

Was he...could it be...? No...

But hearing his voice she discovered a trail of sadness, which she would never have thought about him. Such pain...why didn't she see it before? He was never a cold person. It was pain. Pain. So intense that it took over his body and mind. Altered his personality, made his decisions, taught him the way of life. Right in that very moment it seemed so unbelievably clear to her; what kind of soul he had. It felt like a hand grasped her heart, and squeezed it with remorseful feelings. Because she didn't see, before now. Before she got the chance to stop herself, she found her face inches away from his neck. She breathed heavily, a warm breath, tickling the hairs of his neck.

He was indeed crying.

He spun around, grabbed both of her pale wrists, forcing her back on the matress. Her thin, delicate figure pressed against the soft peach colored sheets and her heart raced. She sighed. She felt warm tears raining down upon her cheeks. It was a nice feeling, though she didn't like to see him in such agony.

His mouth spoke and she listened carefully.

She heard his words but didn't understand. And when he lifted her up against him, his body shaking like hers she forgot.

Forgot everything.

--

He leaned in for a kiss. Because of her rosy cheeks he had thought that she might have warm lips; but they were extremely cold. Yet, the softness comforted him, making him take more of her in. Their lips were slightly parted and he wished that he didn't felt like he was about to do something horrible.

"Sn...nake" She spoke clumsily into his mouth, when he let his tongue into her mouth. He was rushing it, and he knew that.

"Schh" He said but she insisted. She looked somewhat uncomfortale.

"I have done some things-"

"So have we all," Snake said after their lips parted, looking at her with a frown. "Just look who you're talking to."

"Just shut up and _listen_!" Her face went from rosy to bright red, nearly screaming into his face. She quickly clamed herself.

"I tried to kill you, and you treated my wounds. Someone I know killed your best friend." She didn't hide that she was saddened and she sobbed heavily. "And here we are! Don't you know we shouldn't-"

Muffled by his kiss once again she struggled for some time, but she gave up quickly. He slowly pulled back, not too much. Looking at her intensely, he whispered.

"No matter how greatly you wish to go back in time, you can't. And that makes you cold, doesn't it? It makes you feel weak, useless. I tried so hard to become the best in my field that I forgot about living. The woman I loved died and after that I became a shadow." He cupped her face, that deep, intense look from his green irises paralyzing her. "And do you know what? The few good memories that I had, became the only thing keeping me from ever becoming happy again. But just as I tried to avoid pain and failed, I also failed in avoiding happiness."

He went silent. Haruna pouted very lightly and leaned away from him, the word "Confusion" painted all over her dissapointed face.

"Is that your answer? Is that what you _call _an answer?!"

She was surprised to see him smiling. She fumed and she spun around strictly walking towards the door.

She opened the door.

"You should know at least one thing about me Snake." She hissed, not opening her eyes in anger.

"I am nothing like you, you know. That's what you think, isn't it?"

Since he didn't answer she sneered:

"I'm Perfect Blue."

She then felt how something pierced through her. Snake was screaming too. Blood was blinding her sight but she would never mistake the face of her master staring down at her. Not even with the blade of his katana pushed all the way through her.

--


End file.
